The present invention relates generally to the production of coated polymeric articles, and particularly, articles with barrier coatings.
Polymeric articles, including films and bottles, are widely used for packaging products, particularly foods. No unmodified polymeric article, however, has the gas and moisture barrier characteristics needed for packaging.
Thus, multilayer polymeric films have been designed with have improved gas and moisture barrier properties. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,620 (Chu et al), a polypropylene film is coated with a blend of an ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer and polyvinyl alcohol and then metalized to produce a film with moisture barrier properties. U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,023 describes the application of a layer of polyvinylalcohol to the surface of a polyolefin substrate which has been modified by a maleic anhydride modified polypropylene.
Unfortunately, certain of the layers which have been applied to polymeric films in order to improve gas and moisture barrier properties have been faced with problems with adhering to the substrate. Various approaches have been taken to address these problems. However, to date, none of these approaches has provided a product with adequate barrier properties, which may be efficiently produced.